Songs of the heart

By Sean McCarthy

For most people, Valentine’s Day is about making someone feel special. But Grace Morrison wants to do that year-round. While flowers, cards, and chocolates are traditionally valued gifts, Morrison is offering people something entirely unique. While she is busy crafting songs for her own albums, the Warehamnative’s passion for musical creativity has been channeled into composing love songs on commission – a timeless gift that will last throughout the years

Everybody has a story and I enjoy telling those stories

“Everybody has a story and I enjoy telling those stories,” Morrison says. “It’s an opportunity for people who can’t articulate their experience through song. When you’re being commissioned to write a song for someone there’s more pressure than writing for yourself. The greatest challenge is that you want the person to love the song you’ve written.”

In addition to releasing three full-length albums of original music, Morrison has written 20 commissioned songs for others in the last five years. Her first tribute song was written for the passing of her father, and consequently friends began asking her to write songs for them.

“When my father passed I wrote a tribute song, and shortly thereafter when a friend’s father passed away she asked me to write a song for the funeral,” Morrison recalls. Morrison had entered a new world of songwriting.

Since writing those first tribute songs, Morrison has written as many as 20 more commissioned songs, particularly for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and holidays, as well as special occasions.

One of those special situations was when she wrote a song for Kerry Keyes, Morrison’s personal trainer. During their workout sessions, Morrison sympathized with Keyes’ personal situation: being a middle-aged divorcee.

Grace took how I was feeling and put it into words

“Grace took how I was feeling and put it into words,” Keyes says. “It was a song for all the girls out there who were feeling that there are other opportunities out there, people feeling the same feelings I was too. She made me feel like there was hope, that there are people feeling the same feelings you are having – the wonderful feelings of starting over and starting fresh. It will resonate with others. It’s a wonderful reminder of new beginnings.”

And Morrison also delivers special memories. Last Christmas Eve, Matthew Monteiro of Rochester had Morrison do a “mash up” version of two songs that he had serenaded his wife Portia during one of her med classes 20 years earlier – “Heart Of My Heart” and “Let Me Call You Sweetheart.”

Upon Matthew’s request, Morrison created an interpretation of the two classic songs, melding them into a unique combined version. Morrison’s creative version of the two songs was delivered virtually this past Christmas Eve as the couple relaxed aside a holiday fire. Portia was caught entirely by surprise. “

These two songs are incredibly meaningful to me, and Grace’s version is also very meaningful,” Portia says. “She blended them together to create a unique song, capturing the essence of both songs and blending the experiences.

“Twenty years ago Matthew had me serenaded with these songs while we were dating and Grace created a special version to recreate that experience and keep it special.”

“I enjoy telling somebody’s story,” Morrison says. “It’s important to create something special for someone.”

To learn more about Morrison’s music and to commission your own song visit her website at gracemorrison.com.